Plain and simple.
Most Canberrans have lived in a red brick cottage at some point. You know the ones: cold winters, not enough heating, draughts creeping under old doors and through timber windows. I’ve frozen through a few winters in them myself. I still love them.
They were built with purpose. As Canberra grew, the government needed homes that were affordable and practical, and these cottages were the answer. People called them Govies, and later ex-Govies. Their bricks came from the Old Brickworks in Yarralumla, which ties them to the very start of the city’s story.
Walk through the inner suburbs and you’ll still see them everywhere. Time has softened their plain faces and gardens have grown in around them. Some have been rendered, some extended, and plenty are gone. The ones that remain have a quiet charm that could only be Canberra.
The arch is a later addition, opening onto a new living space.
Staging a Canberra red cottage: letting the house lead
When we staged this O’Connor cottage in Canberra’s inner north, the brief was simple: let the original features speak. That meant the solid brick, the timber floors and the old windows that hold so much of the home’s history. Our job was to support them, not compete with them.
We worked to the same four principles we use in every Dimora home. None of them are complicated or expensive, but together they change how people feel the moment they walk in.
Four home staging principles we use in every Dimora home
1. Reduce visual complexity
Buyers should notice the architecture, not the furniture. We keep the styling calm and unobtrusive, with clear walkways, soft curves, room around each piece, and no loud art or colour fighting the home for attention. Think of it as the no-makeup makeup look for interiors: nothing added that doesn’t need to be there.
2. Work with a tonal palette
We take our cues from the tones already in the home, then layer in soft, natural colours and matte finishes. In this cottage the kitchen floorboards were too marked to resurface, so we painted them in Porter’s Olive Grove. The cupboards went Porter’s Popcorn. Together they brought a warm, settled calm back to the room.
3. Create symmetry
A balanced room is an easy room to be in. When a space feels evenly weighted, people relax without quite knowing why. It’s a subtle tool, but when it’s done well it changes how the whole space feels.
4. Layer warm light
Lamps, soft pools of light and a few sources at different heights make a home feel cosy and lived in. Buyers respond to it straight away. Often it’s what turns a house that looks nice into the “I could live here” moment.
If it were ours: the cottage kitchen
We always ask ourselves what we’d do if we were the ones buying. With this cottage, I’d keep the kitchen. I’d swap the handles for small painted timber knobs and take out the overhead cupboards, which I’ve never loved. In their place I’d put open shelving stacked with glassware and ceramics in olive, cream and soft earthy tones. Something like West Elm’s stoneware would sit beautifully here.
The Dimora swoon board for this cottage.
Styling and staging by Jade Thomas, Dimora Group.
Is it worth staging a Canberra red cottage before you sell?
We think so. Buyers looking at a Canberra red brick cottage are usually buying the character: the brick, the timber floors, the light through old windows. An empty or cluttered cottage hides all of that. Good home staging shows buyers how the rooms work and lets them picture living there, without covering up what makes the house special.
Selling a home in Canberra? Have a look at our home staging services, see more of our work in the gallery, or get in touch to talk about your home.
